Top 5 starters to choose from in Reborn?

[TA31]

Ive been debating with a couple people on this and Im interested in what others think are the best starters in Reborn. 

 

I personally think the top 5 are : Torchic(Speed boost go brrr), Froakie(Protean), Chimchar, Poplio(Access to one of the best defensive types in the game) and Charmander(3 weaknesses with either Mega, as well as early access to dragon rage)

 

Honourable mentions go to Totodile(Sheer force), Mudkip(EQ, one weakness) and bulbasuar. 

[Rendolf]

I'd personally throw Piplup in there, its typing alone is enough to give it a top spot (plus Empoleon is my favorite).

[Nocturne93]

Litten is also decent; Intimidate + Fake Out comes in quite handy in most situations. 

[TA31]

8 hours ago, Rendolf said:

I'd personally throw Piplup in there, its typing alone is enough to give it a top spot (plus Empoleon is my favorite).

Piplup is decent for me but I don't really feel as if I ever use it right. It's ability also doesn't give good synergy with its stats. 

 

4 hours ago, Nocturne93 said:

Litten is also decent; Intimidate + Fake Out comes in quite handy in most situations. 

Forgot about Listen, its definitely one of the better starters for me, but its poor speed hinders it.

[Xtrack]

Snivy can put in work if your willing to wait until it gets leaf storm. Contrary leaf storm sweeps so many fights in the game. 

[TA31]

3 hours ago, Xtrack said:

Snivy can put in work if your willing to wait until it gets leaf storm. Contrary leaf storm sweeps so many fights in the game. 

Level 43 with a stage 1 is a bit too late for me. You can only hit that just before fighting Aya too

[Green Bean 501]

7 hours ago, TA31 said:

Piplup is decent for me but I don't really feel as if I ever use it right. It's ability also doesn't give good synergy with its stats. 

 

Forgot about Listen, its definitely one of the better starters for me, but its poor speed hinders it.

Trick Room go brrr

[OmegaStellarSolare]

I only choose Fire type Starters. So :

5. Cyndaquil (Later : Choice Scarf Eruption Combo)

4. Litten (Later : Assault Vest/Incinerium Z (with Darkest Lariat) + Intimidate + Fake Out + U-Turn Combo)

3. Chimchar (Later : Iron Fist + Learnable Punching Moves + Life Orb)

2. Charmander (Later : Mega Charizard X sweep)

1. Torchic (Later : Has many crazy destroyer moves and packs a lot speed thanks to Speed Boost, even if not mega evolved.)

[wcv]

The thing about starters is that they are most valuable in the early game, because options are lacking. A starter that starts bad-mediocre, and then gets better is worse as a STARTER than a starter that starts great and then falls off in power. With that in mind IMO both Totodile and Snivy don't qualify as being top level starters. Both have deeply mediocre movesets, and only get good if you hold off evolving them until level 43, which is a terrible idea if you're playing just with the starter. That would require keeping an extremely weak stage one on your team at the point in the game where your starter is most valuable. It also means that starters weak against the early game as less valuable. Which heavily tilts the scales against Water types, because 3 Tangrowth + Julia + Florinia; and weights the scales TOWARD fire types because of the abundance of grass types early, in particular the three Tangrowths, and special fire types particularly since those often have moves to light up the forest fields that are ubiquitous. So with that in mind.

 

IMO:

1. Torchic (Speed Boost OP)

2. Charmander (Dragon Rage + spread fire move destroys the early game)

3. Chimchar (basically a better Blaziken apart from Speed Boost)

4. Froakie (Great, but let down a bit by level up movepool)

5. Cyndaquil (basically Charmander but no Dragon Rage)

 

Six would probably be Fennekin, then Mudkip. Bottom of the pile is Tepig, which just sucks, Squirtle which sucks and has all the other problems water types face, and Oshawatt, because Unova starters were bad.

[Seel The Deal]

from the perspective of someone who's been attempting a hc nuzlocke (not rn tho, gonna wait for e19), and not counting the obvious torchic pick:

 

1. Fennekin, great movepool and Fire/Psychic is possibly the best offensive typing you could ask for. puts in massive work in every major battle up to and including Radomus which is just insane value

2. Charmander, dragon rage is busted early game though it's a bit meh once that falls off

3. Mudkip, excellent defensive typing and it's both the bulkiest and strongest user of it. only water starter that's actually useful earlygame since it gets ground typing for Julia and Corey, and honestly it even does the whole "rock type" thing better than actual rock types once it learns Rock Slide. just an overall great "glue" mon

4. Litten, intimidate is an incredible ability and Fire/Dark is a really really good typing but slow, bulky, physical fire type isn't a great combination unfort since you can't afford Flare Blitz recoil and Fire Punch is just so weak

5. Popplio, Water/Fairy is probably straight up the best defensive typing (not counting Steel/Fairy since none of its available users have the stats to back it up), also a really really good special tank

 

 

Chespin, Chimchar and Cyndaquil are also really good, just not prime pickings imo

 

[Steeldevil]

I use a large roster of mons not just 1 team of 6 so keep that in mind. I think the best starters are the ones that fullfill their role at either a unique level or a level no similar mon can match through a majority of the game. Examples

 

Treecko and Snivy to me feel like they are far and away the best Grass types in the game until Neo-Reborn. Every other run I've had to deal with using Roserade or something else as my grass type which is a pretty noticeable downgrade IMO. 

 

Mudkip: Solid all around, Froakie: Protean, and Popplio: Serves as both a strong water and fairy type

 

For fire types I feel like the majority get outclassed by Growlithe/Arcanine (which you get very early) for a majority of the game. Blaziken, Infernape and Delphox through their speed and dual typing all provide some things Arcanine or other fire types cannot

 

 

I can see the arguments for Charmander, but personally I find the early game to be the easiest section of the game and don't find the opportunity cost worth it.  Example: I take Charmander, enjoy an easier early game, end up replacing my Charizard with a far more useful Arcanine sometime around Shade or Aya, and finally get a Protean Greninja at 16 badges in. OR I have a slightly harder time in the early game, get that same Arcanine, and get to use Protean Greninja for a majority of the game. I just don't think making the easiet part of the game easier is worth having to use subpar Grass/Water types until Neo Reborn or missing out on the unique advantages of something like Swampert or Delphox

[TA31]

8 hours ago, wcv said:

With that in mind IMO both Totodile and Snivy don't qualify as being top level starters. Both have deeply mediocre movesets, and only get good if you hold off evolving them until level 43, which is a terrible idea if you're playing just with the starter.

This is a good point, I never noticed the totodile's strongest water STAB is locked late game lol (also made me remember that liquidation is widely available in gen 7) 

 

8 hours ago, wcv said:

Which heavily tilts the scales against Water types, because 3 Tangrowth + Julia + Florinia; and weights the scales TOWARD fire types because of the abundance of grass types early, in particular the three Tangrowths, and special fire types particularly since those often have moves to light up the forest fields that are ubiquitous.

Gotta remember there are other fire types available like Arcane and I think houndoom if I'm not mistaken. They're good alternative choices if you start with a water or grass starter. Just like how Roserade is available if you use a fire type

 

3 hours ago, Steeldevil said:

take Charmander, enjoy an easier early game, end up replacing my Charizard with a far more useful Arcanine sometime around Shade or Aya, and finally get a Protean Greninja at 16 badges in.

You're underrating Charmander a bit imo. It gets access to 2 Mega evolutions late game for diversity, and even a regular can hit extremely hard and may be the biggest non legendary beneficiary from Sunny day with the solar power boost.

[wcv]

3 hours ago, TA31 said:

Gotta remember there are other fire types available like Arcane and I think houndoom if I'm not mistaken. They're good alternative choices if you start with a water or grass starter. Just like how Roserade is available if you use a fire type

Growlithe isn't available until you've already beaten two badges, fought through both early forests, and beaten two of the Pulse Tangrowth's. Its good, no argument there, but too late to take advantage of the advantage fire starters have early on. Houndour is locked behind the gang quests, which means you can't get it until even later. Post-Shelly IIRC.

[OmegaStellarSolare]

2 hours ago, wcv said:

Growlithe isn't available until you've already beaten two badges, fought through both early forests, and beaten two of the Pulse Tangrowth's. Its good, no argument there, but too late to take advantage of the advantage fire starters have early on. Houndour is locked behind the gang quests, which means you can't get it until even later. Post-Shelly IIRC.

You’re half right and half wrong. Police Officers Sidequest must be done to obtain Growlithe, even before battle against Taka and ZEL with third Pulse Tangrowth.

[wcv]

7 minutes ago, SolareSupremo said:

You’re half right and half wrong. Police Officers Sidequest must be done to obtain Growlithe, even before battle against Taka and ZEL with third Pulse Tangrowth.

I am not half-wrong. You can find the last officer just before the third Pulse Tangrowth. At which point you’ve beaten two of them and finished the first puzzles.

[TA31]

 

3 hours ago, wcv said:

Growlithe isn't available until you've already beaten two badges, fought through both early forests, and beaten two of the Pulse Tangrowth's. Its good, no argument there, but too late to take advantage of the advantage fire starters have early on. Houndour is locked behind the gang quests, which means you can't get it until even later. Post-Shelly IIRC.

Oh yeah true, Numel is available early though and it has access to Lava Plume for AOE moves

[Steeldevil]

On 3/26/2022 at 7:24 AM, TA31 said:

 

You're underrating Charmander a bit imo. It gets access to 2 Mega evolutions late game for diversity, and even a regular can hit extremely hard and may be the biggest non legendary beneficiary from Sunny day with the solar power boost.

By the time it gets access to those Mega Evolutions you can already catch Charmander normally

[Dark Legend]

Litten is the best one. Intimidate is essential in the beginning, and, with Fakeout, Fire, and Dark Moves, its unstoppable.